NBA rumors: Sixers center Joel Embiid will play in preseason

Sixers head coach Brett Brown has good news for Sixers fans.

Is Joel Embiid destined to end up another Greg Oden, destined to see his elite size and talent silenced by injury woes?

We'll get one step closer to finding out if the center drafted in 2014 will finally make his NBA debut in 2016 with the 76ers this preseason — at least according to Philly's head coach Brett Brown.

"I just left my third consecutive day working out with Joel," Brown said on the Zach Lowe podcast last week. "He just is so on track, he's on track in his head, he's on track physically. I will tell you that, behind closed doors, physically, mentally, recent scans medically, everything is pointing in the right direction."

The coach said he expects Embiid to suit up and hit the floor for the first time since he hurt his foot as a Kansas Jayhawk when the Sixers face the Celtics on Oct. 4.

The Sixers stood pat with their three big men, with Embiid flanked by Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel in the jammed Philadelphia front court. A healthy Embiid will provide a lot of needed information for the Sixers as they access which of their young prospects will be pieces for the squad when it reaches contention again.